Hair clipper attachment



Oct. 30, 1962 W. R. THOMAS HAIR CLIPPER ATTACHMENT Filed June 29, 1960ire tates;

3,060,574- HAIR CLIPPER ATTACHMENT William R. Thomas, 5791 Elston Ave,Chicago, Ill. Filed June 29, 1960, Ser. No. 39,620 2 Claims. ((31.30-202) This invention is directed to an attachment or accessory for ahair clipper and is more particularly directed to an attachment for amotor driven hair clipper which is effective to provide a tapering cutof hair as the clipper assembly is moved along the back of the neck.

Many prior types of devices in the general class described have beenproposed in the past. However, each of the prior types of mechanismswithin this class have had one or more particularly disadvantageouscharacteristics which it is the object of this invention to obviate.

In general, my invention is directed to an attachment or accessory to ahair clipper and is so arranged that the clipper attachment can readilybe attached to and removed from standard motor powered hair clippers.This feature, of itself, constitutes a substantial improvement over manyprior types of devices for effecting a tapered cut of hair inasmuch asthe motor powered hair clipper may be used with or without the mechanismfor effecting the tapered cut of hair to thereby greatly increase itsutility.

Briefly described, my invention consists in the provision of a housingor tool mount having means for readily afiixing the cutting head of amotor driven hair clipper thereto. A comb is pivotally mounted on thetool mount which is adapted to ride along the scalp of the person whosehair is to be cut. As the comb is moved pivotally with respect to thetool mount, the cutting head of the hair clipper which is mounted on thetool mount is consequently moved away from the scalp.

In order to provide a means for effecting a proper tapered cut of hairalong the back of the neck, I have rotatably mounted a roller on thetool mount and have provided a gear train between the roller and thecomb so that the comb will be pivoted upon rotation of the roller. Thediameter of the roller and the several gears in the gear train is, ofcourse, determinative of the amount to which the cutting head is movedaway from the scalp for a given length of travel of the roller along thescalp.

In many prior devices in the class described, means have been providedfor normally biasing the roller or its equivalent in one rotationaldirection so that upon -re moval of the roller from engagement with thescalp, the roller would be returned to an initial position and the combor its equivalent, operatively connected therewith, would be returned toa point in juxtaposition with the cutting head.

On the contrary, I have provided a gear train to interconnect the rollerwith the comb which has a high reduction ratio so that pivotal movementof the comb can only be effected by rotation of the roller. Thus, noordinary amount of force applied to the comb and urging the same towardthe cutting head is effective to vary the distance between the cuttinghead and the comb. As a result, I find that by rotating the roller 9.given amount the comb can be disposed in a desired pivoted position andmay be used in that position for as long as is desired. The fact thatthe roller is moved out of engagement with the scalp does not, ofcourse, vary this fixed relationship between the cutting head and thecomb.

Since I employ a gear train to interconnect the roller with the combrather than some form of cam or cam and lever linkage means, theattachment operates smoothly and easily even though the roller contactsthe scalp only very lightly.

It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to providean attachment for a motor driven hair clipper which will be effective toprovide a tapered cut of hair.

Another important object of the invention resides in the provision of anattachment for hair clippers of the class described in which a geartrain drivingly interconnects the roller with the pivoted comb.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an attachment ofthe class above described in which the comb can be pivoted with respectto the cutting head only by rotation of the roller.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from timeto time as the following specification proceeds and with reference tothe accompanying draw ings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is aside elevational view of my hair clipper attachment whichillustrates in broken lines a pivoted position of the comb;

FIGURE 2 is a bottom view of my hair clipper attachment showing aportion of the comb broken away to reveal one means for securing theattachment to the clipper cutting head;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along lines III III of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional View taken along lines IV-IV of FIGURE3.

As illustrated in the drawings, an attachment 10 for effecting a taperedcut of hair is operatively associated with a motor driven hair clipper11 having a two-part cutting head 12. The attachment 10 comprisesgenerally a tool mount 13 having a roller 14 and a comb 15 rotatably andpivotally mounted thereon and drivingly interconnected with one anotherby means of a gear train 16. As illustrated in FIGURE 1, the gear train16 is operative to effect pivotal movement of the comb 15 from the fullline to the broken line position upon clockwise rotatable movement ofthe roller 14. Thus, if the clipper attachment is placed against theback of ones head and then moved upwardly so that the roller 14 rollsalong the scalp, the comb 15 will move pivotally away from the cuttinghead 12 and thereby lengthen the cut of hair made by the cutting head12.

Describing the illustrated embodiment of the invention now in moredetail, the cutting head 12 includes a stationary comb 17 and areciprocable transversely movable cutting comb 18. These two partstogether constitute the cutting head and are a part of the usual motordriven hair clipper such as is fragmentarily illustrated at 11. Uponenergization of the motor the cutting comb 18 moves transversely backand forth very quickly and cuts hair which extends through thestationary comb 17.

The tool part 13 comprises generally a pair of spaced side plates 20 and21 and a transverse cutting head seat 22 which are formed integrallywith one another. The distance between the side plates 20* and 21 at theforward end of the tool part 13 approximates the width of the cuttinghead comb 17 so that the cutting head 12 may be disposed between theside plates with the rearwardly extending portion of the comb 17 seatedon the cutting head seat 22. The opposite sides of the forward end ofthe cutting head comb 17 are adapted to be seated on inwardly extendingflanges 23 which are formed inte grally with the side plates 20 and 21.Screw means 25, screw-threaded into the side plates 20 and 21, may thenbe screwed inwardly so that their shafts extend slightly over thecutting head comb 17 to positively secure the attachment 10 to the haircutter 11. The screw means 25 are, of course, screwed inwardly only aslight distance so that they do not interfere with the reciprocatingmovement of the cutting comb 18. The attachment 10 may in this mannerreadily be connected to or disassociated Patented Oct.30, 1962 from thehair cutter 11 as desired. If it is desired to make a rather permanentconnection between the attachment and the hair clipper 11 the screwswhich normally serve to retain the cutting head comb 17 affixed to thebody of the hair clipper 11 can be removed and these screws may then bereplaced by inserting them through apertures which are provided in thecutting head seat 22 to positively and rigidly secure the attachment 10to the clipper 11. If necessary, spacers 26 may be provided to bedisposed in between the cutting head comb 17 and the cutting head seat22. The necessity of such spacers at all, of course, or the thicknessthereof is dependent upon the particular hair clipper with which theattachment 10 is to be used. In the illustrated embodiment of theinvention screws 27 extend through the cut ting head seat 22, spacers26, cutting head comb 17, and into the body of the hair clipper 11.

The roller 14 is affixed to a pin 30 for corotatable movement therewithand that pin is, in turn, journalled within the side plates and 21 andhas spur gears 31 affixed to the outer ends thereof which lie on theouter faces of the plates 20 and 21.

As illustrated in FIGURE 3 the roller 14 depends slightly below the toolmount 13 so that it will engage the scalp of the person whose hair is tobe cut and will thereby move rotatably as the attachment 10 is movedalong the scalp.

A comb mount 32 includes a pair of spaced vertically extending legs 33and 34 which are apertured to rotatably receive the shaft 30. The combmount 32 is therefore arranged to have pivotal movement with respect tothe shaft about the axis thereof. Lying on the outside of the plates 20and 21 are diametrically enlarged spur gears 35 which have their teethin mesh with the peripheral teeth of the gears 31. Small diameter gears36 lie inside the plates 20 and 21 and are connected to the gears 35 bemeans of shafts 37 for corotatable movement therewith. Also mounted onthe shaft 30 are diametrically enlarged gears 39 which lie adjacent theinner faces of the plates 20, 21. The gears 39 are mounted on the shaft30 so that they have rotatable movement relative to that shaft and havetheir peripheral gear teeth disposed in mesh with the peripheral gearteeth of the radially reduced gears 36.

The vertically extending legs 33 and 34 of the comb mount 32 areconnected to the side faces of the diametrically enlarged gears 39 sothat the comb mount 32 will pivot about the axis of the shaft 30 as thegears 39 rotate. The gears 31, 35, 36 and 39 therefore comprise incombination the gear train which serves to effect pivotal movement ofthe comb mount 32 as the roller 14 rotates.

The sizes and arrangement of the several gears provide a gear trainhaving a high reduction ratio so that pivotal movement of the comb mount32 can only be effected by rotating the roller 14. No ordinary amount offorce urging the comb mount 32 and cutting head seat 22 toward or awayfrom one another will be effective to change the relation between thosemembers.

A comb piece 40 includes a plurality of comb teeth 41 and is affixed tothe comb mount 32 by screws 42. When so connected with the comb mount 32the entire structure pivoted about the shaft 30 may be considered thecomb. It is however often desirable to use comb pieces having varyingnumbers of teeth or differently configurated teeth and I have thereforeprovided an attachment for effecting a tapered cut of hair which has aremovable comb piece so that different comb pieces may be interchangedfor one another.

An arm 44 is pivotally mounted on one of the vertically extending legs34 of the comb mount 32 and has a curvilinear slot 45 formed thereinthrough which extends the shaft 46 of a headed adjustment screw (notshown). The headed end of the shaft 46 overlies the inner surface of thearm 44. An adjustment screw 47 is screw-threaded on the end of the shaft46 which extends through a slot 48 and lies on the outer surface of theplate 21 so that by tightening down the adjustment screw 47 when it isdisposed in a desired position in the slot 48, the limit of pivotalmovement of the comb 15 can be fixed. Thus, when the adjustment screw 47is raised to the uppermost portion of the slot 48 and then tighteneddown the comb 15 will be prevented from moving out of the full lineposition illustrated in FIGURE 1.

I have thus devised an attachment for a motor powered hair clipper whichmay readily be connected to or disconnected from the hair clipper andwhich has a high reduction ratio gear train interconnecting the comb 15and the roller 14 so that pivotal movement of the comb can only beeffected by movement of the roller. I have found that such a feature isquite advantageous inasmuch as the operator may desire to maintain thecomb and cutting head in a fixed relation for a limited time and thiscan readily be effected merely by keeping the roller 14 out of contactwith the scalp. Such a feature is, of course, not possible in thosestructures in which the comb 15 or roller 14 are biased into oneposition or another.

It is apparent that the attachment of this invention not only providesfor the automatic and assured cutting to a taper but also permits ofcutting the remainder of the hair to a predetermined substantially equallength or through suitable manipulation to achieve the fiat-top or crewcut sometimes desired.

Still further I have devised a hair clipper attachment having a readilyremovable comb piece and having a means for limiting the degree ofpivotal movement of the comb 15.

It will be understood that this embodiment of the invention has beenused for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications andvariations in the present invention may be effected without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the novel concepts thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. An attachment for a hair clipper having a cutting head and used forcutting hair growing from a scalp comprising in combination: a toolmount; means for detachably mounting said cutting head on one end ofsaid tool mount; a roller and a comb rotatably and pivotally mountedrespectively on said tool mount about an axis at the opposite endthereof, whereby said comb is disposed in a position intermediate saidcutting head and the scalp from which hair is to be cut; adjustablemeans for limiting the degree of pivotal movement of said comb away fromsaid cutting head; and a high reduction ratio gear train interconnectingsaid roller and comb to pivot the comb upon rotation of said roller,whereby pivoting of said comb can only be effected by rotation of saidroller.

2. An attachment for a hair clipper having a cutting head and used forcutting hair growing from a scalp comprising in combination: a toolmount; means for detachably mounting said cutting head on one end ofsaid tool mount; a roller and a comb mount rotatably and pivotallymounted respectively on said tool mount about an axis at the oppositeend thereof; a comb detachably secured to said comb mount, whereby saidcomb is disposed in a position intermediate said cutting head and thescalp from which hair is to be cut; adjustable means for limiting thedegree of pivotal movement of said comb mount away from said cuttinghead; and a high reduction ratio gear train interconnecting said rollerand comb to pivot the comb upon rotation of said roller, wherebypivoting of said comb can only be effected by rotation of said roller.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,928,000 Adelmo Sept. 26, 1933 2,480,920 Gullong Sept. 6, 19492,707,328 Witthoift May 3, 1955 2,725,627 Rekettye Dec. 6, 19552,911,715 Seifert Nov. 10, 1959

